A Galaxy Ripe for the Taking
by Charles McCoy
Summary: Revan's fleet during his attempted capture is transported to the edge of the Bajoran system in the year 2346, a week after the completion of Terok Nor. The Sith Lord has been given an oppurtunity like no other...a galaxy ripe for the taking.
1. Prologue

**3,957 BBY  
>Outer Rim Territories<br>Darth Revan's Flagship, **_**Revanchist**_

From his position on the bridge of his flagship, Lord Revan, the Dark Lord of the New Sith Empire, watched the pitched battle continue between his own forces and that of the Jedi-lead Republic task force. His eyes watched the movement of every ship, every fighter, everything taking place in this empty region of space. His mask hid the thin smile that was slowly creeping onto his face.

Things were go exactly as he had hoped. The Jedi Order was so predictable in their actions, which was why his agent had been able to get this operation set up so quickly. The masters had been so easy to manipulate into launching such a foolish mission. The council must have been more desperate than he had thought.

He could sense his agent and the Jedi strike team making their way ever closer. Just as planned, the defenses were melting away as the Jedi charged onward, none of them suspecting what lay in store for them beyond the doors of the bridge.

_What a wonderful use for Malak's best soldiers._ He thought to himself, wondering idly what the look on his apprentice's face would be like when he informed him his usefulness had come to an end. Ever since Telos, Malak's obedience and his skill had begun to slip, and Revan could already feel the Dark side finally sinking its teeth into the depths of his soul. Revan knew of Malak's fascination with the old Sith ways, as well as his craving for the power the Star Forge offered. _How easily he has forgotten my teachings…and our plans_. He sighed to himself, taking a brief moment to mourn the loss of his friend, and then readied himself as he heard the doors at the end of the bridge swoosh open.

Two Dark Jedi and several Sith troopers rushed forward to engage the Jedi. Red blades met the varied colors of the Jedi's as the battle began. Revan sighed again, glancing to the side as Captain Yular moved forward, drawing her disruptor and holding it ready.

"You remember the plan Captain?" Revan whispered, using the force to carry his whispered query to his loyal officer. For a moment, he wondered if she had heard him, but then he saw the slight nod of her head as she replied "Yes Lord Revan. Just promise not to put too much into it."

Revan said nothing as he continued to gaze at the raging battle outside. Explosions ripped across both sides as shields fell and pilots met fiery deaths. He calmly waited until he heard the last of his guards fall, and saw Yular raise her weapon, ready to fire. He heard the footsteps as those Jedi who hadn't fallen rushed towards him.

"You have failed me Captain. And I do not accept failure." He said, turning and stretching out his arm, his hands contorting as he used the force to raise Yular into the air. This made the Jedi pause as they watched, hesitant on what they should do as Revan promptly tossed Yular into a nearby wall. He heard a gasp from one of the Jedi as her body dropped to the floor, seemingly lifeless.

"And she had such promise…"He said, finally turning towards the Jedi, their weapons held in defensive positions as they held their ground. At the head of the group, stood a young woman. A look of shock was on her face as her eyes gazed at the limp body of Captain Yular.

_This is the famed Bastila?_ He thought to himself as his lightsaber flew from his belt and into his hand, a red blade of light igniting as he thumbed the switch. This seemed to bring the young Jedi back to her senses, as she turned her steely glare towards him. Brandishing her yellow lightsaber, she called out "You cannot win Revan. Surrender, and we will spare you."

Revan was very tempted to laugh then. If only she knew how wrong she was. _Time for a reality check girl…_he thought to himself as he swung his lightsaber into position, preparing to launch his attack.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, so bright that it flooded the interior of the bridge, and even though he was facing away from it, and had his mask, Revan had to cover his eyes. The ship shook lightly, and for a brief second, he felt as if the force was being ripped from him. Just as fast as the light came, it vanished, and Revan staggered, nearly falling to the floor as he worked to regain his balance.

He could sense the Jedi experiencing the same problem, but he and his cloaked soldiers recovered first. Seizing on the opportunity, Revan shouted "NOW!"

It happened so fast that the Jedi had no time to react, not in their condition anyways. A wall of stun pulses shot out as ten Sith assassins decloaked around them. The Jedi staggered, each of them falling to the floor as the effects of the stun knocked them into a blissful sleep. Revan and his men carefully stepped forward, his assassins quickly setting to work checking and binding their new prisoners.

With that problem taken care of, Revan turned to the face the front of the bridge, casting his senses into the depths of space. Something very sudden had happened, and there was no doubt in his mind that the force had been involved.

He just needed to know what, exactly, had happened.

**November 17****th****, 2346  
>In orbit of Bajor, Bajor system<br>Cardassian Starbase **_**Terok Nor**_

"…and with the completion of this station, the bond between the Bajoran people and the Cardassian Union is strengthened. It is thanks to the efforts of many Bajorans and Cardassians that this grand station now sits here high above your world." Dukat said to the gathering of dignitaries and military officers. He stood behind a podium set up on Terok Nor's promenade, a warm smile on his face as he gazed at his audience.

The starbase had been finished the previous week, but they had been forced to double check everything on the station. While it was believed that no sabotage had occurred under his watch, there was nothing wrong with being certain.

Below the platform he was standing on were his senior aides, as well as a number of notable Cardassians from both the surface of Bajor as well as the rest of the Union. Also present were a number of Bajorans, each of whom happily assisted their Cardassian masters with the running of the planet below.

All of them were there for the ceremony commemorating the completion of Terok Nor. Dukat was personally glad that the facility was finished; soon he could move his administration up here, and be rid of the worries of the constant threat to his life by the so-called "Bajoran Resistance".

Just as he was about to ask that the highest ranking Bajoran present, the Minister of Bajoran-Cardassian affairs, to share a toast with him, the battle klaxon sounded off. Murmurs spread thru the crowd, but Dukat raised his arms and gently said "I'm sure it is nothing to worry about my friends. If you will all excuse me a moment, we may return to the celebrations. There are refreshments in the lounge if anybody is interested." He then strode casually down the steps and away from the platform. He nodded his head at several of his officers who followed him into a turbolift.

"Command Center." He said, and he pressed the comm. panel, establishing a link between the lift and the stations bridge. "Report, now."

There were some mutters over the channel, but after a moment a voice asserted itself and the mutterings ceased. A second later, he could hear the voice of the stations Gul, Mutul.

"Prefect Dukat, thirty-five seconds ago, long range sensors detected a sudden energy surge, followed by a spatial anomaly of unknown type or origin. The sensor grid was knocked offline for a few seconds, but when it came back up, the anomaly had vanished, replaced with a fleet of unknown alien ships."

Dukat glanced briefly at his aides, then turned back to the panel.

"How many ships?"

There was silence for a moment, but then he responded, his voice shaking a bit

"There are a total of twenty-six capital ships*, and…that can't be right, check the sensors again!"

Dukat tapped his hand against the wall as he waited for a reply. He got one just as the lift pulled up to the command deck.

"Prefect on deck!" his assistant shouted as they stepped out of the lift, Dukat making his way to where Gul Mutul stood. He was shouting at a crewmen as they approached, and Dukat paitently waited for them to realize he was there. It only took a few seconds.

"Well Gul, what have you found? I'm still waiting for the rest of that report."

Mutul swallowed, his face slightly pale as he turned to face Dukat. He stood stiffly as he handed Dukat a pad. "Sensors show that in addition to the twenty-six capital ships, there are nearly fifteen hundred smaller attack craft."

Dukat stared at the man incredously, then skimmed thru the information on the pad. It gave the same information, and even added that sensors were functioning perfectly.

"Put this fleet on-screen."

Mutul nodded and turned to another officer, who manipulated the controls. The viewscreen, which had previously shown the slowly turning world of Bajor, switched to a section of space. A second later, the image was magnified. Just as the sensors had reported, twenty-six large vessels were sitting still in space, with large numbers of much smaller craft slowly flying near many of the ships.

Dukat was and always would be a military man, but even if he hadn't been, he would have known that no fleet of that size was simply passing thru. That…was an invasion fleet.

"Contact Central Command, and send out a call for reinforcements. And have to _Jalivon_ and _Trenop _take up position between us and that fleet. Put the station and Bajor on full military alert." When no one jumped into action, he glared at them all and shouted "Well?"

Mutul slipped into command mode as he turned and screamed at everyone to get moving. Dukat knew that Mutul would get the station as ready as possible for what was to come. Now it was Dukat's turn to do what he could to prepare his available forces for this unknown fleet…

* 8 Centurion-class battlecruisers, 13 Interdictor-class cruisers,5 Derriphan-class battleships, 1442 Sith Interceptors. The Cardassian ships are a Galor and a Neterok, respectively.


	2. Chapter 1

**6 hours later  
>Unknown Location<br>Darth Revan's Flagship, **_**Revanchist**_

Revan paced back and forth in his quarters, a datapad held loosely in his hands as he gazed at its contents. Despite seeming to be reading its content's intently, it was the fourth time he had gone over the reports from the fleet. Really, he was just trying to distract himself from their current situation.

Just after Bastila's strike team had been taken prisoner and escorted to the brig, Revan had ordered a fleet-wide alert, and a full report of the fleet's status within one hour. Just gazing through the bridge windows had told him that something was definitively wrong. Malak's ships as well as the Republic fleet had vanished, and there was not even a single piece of debris to prove they had been there. He had observed the stars around them, and discovered that he didn't recognize any of the star's positions.

But more than that, it was what he felt with the force that bothered him.

It wasn't that he couldn't feel the Force anymore. Such a thing would have been fatal, and even he couldn't say if he would have survived that. Rather, it was how the Force felt as he extended his senses beyond the ship and across the fleet. Here it felt strange, alien, foreign to him, and it had taken a good deal of control to keep himself from fidgeting as he got the feeling that he simply didn't belong here.

_Wherever 'here' is_ he mused silently to himself, looking at the report before setting it down on a desk and turning to observe the fleet.

Despite Malak's forces taking the brunt of the Republic attack, his ships had not escaped unscathed and engineers were already working to repair the damage. Most of it was superificial, but considering the situation Revan wanted each and every ship in the best fighting condition they could be in.

A small chime from his door alerted him that he had a visitor, and without turning around he opened the door, allowing Captain Yular to step in. He continued watching the fleet as he asked "Any progress Captain?"

Yular shook her head. "Yes my Lord, Commander Livlat reports that sensors should be working at full power within the hour. The rest of the fleet reports a similar timeframe. Battle damage will take longer to repair, but we are as battle ready as we can get. I've also come to inform you that your agent has awoken, and we are ready to interrogate the Jedi strike team whenever you're ready."

Revan nodded absent-mindedly at her report. "Good, remind me to give commendations to the repair teams for their quick work."

"Of course my Lord." Yular responded, going silent as Revan continued to watch his fleet float in space. After a moment, she spoke up, "Lord Revan…if I may…" Yular waited for Revan to give permission, and after a subtle nod from him she continued "Are you alright Revan?"

Revan sighed, turning to face her as he gave thought to her reply. "Yes…and no, I suppose you could say. It's rather difficult to explain to someone who isn't Force sensitive."

"Does this have anything to do with what you said on the bridge? Something about this place not…feeling right, that we were out of place?"

Another sigh escaped his lips as Revan started pacing, trying to piece together the best way to describe what he, and undoubtedly every Force sensitive in the fleet, was feeling. "Imagine yourself standing in a river. You can feel ebb and flow of the river as it runs by you." He paused, glancing at Yular to see if she was keeping up.

"Now imagine that same flash, but when it vanishes, everything looks the same, the water rushing past you feels like water and even tastes like water. And it even _seems_ to flow just as it did before. But deep down inside, you know that something important, fundamental, has changed."

Yular seemed to consider this for a moment. Revan wondered if he had explained it right, or if it was just one of those things only Force sensitive's could understand. Finally, she nodded.

"I think I get what you're trying to say. If so, I hope whatever it means won't prove too troublesome for us. We still have a war to win after all."

A ghost of a smile made its way onto Revan's face. "So we do. And we can't let anything stop us, not even this." A quick flick of his wrist and his mask flew into his hands, his feet already propelling him towards the door, Yular falling into step beside him as they left his quarters.

"I want you to remain on the bridge, if anything happens the _Revanchist_ will need its captain at its helm. Once sensors are back up, find out where we are ASAP."

"Understood my Lord." Yular snapped out with a salute, turning at a junction that would lead her to the bride, while Revan continued on towards the brig.

When he arrived, a trooper quickly lead him over to the cells holding the captive Jedi. Bastila was given, by his order, a cell with his agent Penette. From what he had read in her reports, the two had become something close to friends. Revealing where her true allegiances lay was bound to be upsetting to the young Jedi, but such was life.

Both of them glanced at him as he approached their cell, Bastila giving off a defiant glare while Penette simply smirked.

"Well well well, what do we have here? I must admit, with all the rumors I've heard about you Miss Shan, I expected someone much more…formidable." He paused before adding "And more competent."

Anger and embarrassment briefly flashed through the young Jedi's eyes before she managed to reign them in. "Taunt us all you wish Darth Revan, we will never turn to the dark side, and we will not give you any intelligence."

Behind his mask, Revan smirked. "If there is one thing I have learned young lady, it is to never say never. Besides, I don't need to do anything to you. I've already won. With you captured, Republic morale will plummet, and I will be able to drive all the way to Coruscant."

Bastila's expression wavered as he said this, and he could sense that she had come to a similar conclusion. Before she could offer any sort of retort though, he turned his gaze to Penette and said "Jedi Penette, come over here."

Penette briefly glanced at Bastila, feigning confusion and trepidation. Bastila could not offer much support, other than a shaky smile and the thought of _We'll make it through this_. Revan simply chuckled as he declared "You really need to learn to shield your thoughts better Miss Shan."

Bastila said nothing, and Penette slowly made her way over to the force field keeping them separated. Once there, Revan spoke the first part of the password "Peace is an illusion…"

Penette was silent for a moment, but then the smirk returned and she finished "…And war is reality."

"As it always has been." Revan replied, turning to the trooper and nodding. The soldier pressed a few keys and part of the field parted for Penette to step through. Bastila, for her part, had a look of utter shock and betrayal on her face as Penette kneeled before him.

"My Lord," a voice called out, and Revan turned to see a brig officer walking towards them. He stopped a few paces away and stated "I apologize for interrupting, but I just received a message from the bridge that sensors are back online…and that we seem to have some company. Captain Yular is asking for your presence immediately."

"Very well major, I won't keep the captain waiting a moment longer. Take Penette to her quarters and leave the Jedi in their cells, I'll deal with them later."

The major nodded, bowing briefly before directing Penette to follow him. Revan turned briefly to gaze at Bastila, who still seemed in shock, and said "We shall see each other again shortly." With that, he turned and strode out, his mind already wondering what awaited him on the bridge.

**Bajor System  
>Aboard the <strong>_**Javilon**_

Gul Nuvek sighed as he gazed at the viewscreen, which was still dominated by a magnified image of the alien fleet that had appeared out of nowhere. Scans of the fleet had revealed little to him, and their hails had gone unanswered. They were picking up heavy communication between the various ships, but beyond that nothing of importance had happened.

Frankly, he was just fine with that. At least until reinforcements arrived.

Frowning, he called out to his first Glinn and asked "Any word on our reinforcements Rumar?"

Rumar stepped into his field of vision, handing over a padd listing the ships that were on their way since the last communiqué. "The cruisers Anzur and Plektav have just entered the system and should group up with us in ten minutes. Six more ships should be here within the next four hours."

Nuvek mulled over this for a moment, wishing he had more intelligence to work off of. Right now, even counting the incoming ships, it would be a small task force going up against an armada.

At least they had been able to find out one important thing. Reminding himself of this, he said "I trust our evaluation of those small craft is accurate."

"Without a doubt sir, the attack craft aren't producing enough electronic interference to interrupt our scans. Short of them ramming into us, we have nothing to fear." Rumar paused for a beat, considering something, and then added "Matter of fact, if they're not going fast enough they might just bounce off our deflector shields."

"Only if we don't move. We'll have to make sure to give ourselves plenty of space to maneuver if it comes down to a fight."

"If I may speak freely Gul Nuvek, I sincerely hope it does. Anyone who dares to so flagrantly invade the territory of the Union deserves to face the full might of our soldiers."

"If there is one thing I've learned in all my years of service, it is that it is best to pick and chose one's fights. You are a good commander Rumar, but if you're not careful your eagerness to do battle with the enemy will be exactly what earns you an early grave."

Rumar looked ready to make a retort, but a chirp from the communications console drew their attention. Nuvek turned his chair and asked his comm. officer "Well Gil Ulm, do you have something to report?"

"We seem to finally be getting a response from the alien fleet my Gul. It'll take a moment, I'm having some trouble getting a visual connection established."

"Take your time Ulm, it doesn't seem like we'll be going anywhere anytime soon." Nuvek replied, allowing silence to descend on the bridge as they all waited with baited breath for what would reveal itself upon the viewer. Within the next few minutes, the Cardassian Union could find itself at war with an unknown alien race, and while Nuvek believed Cardassia would prevail in the end, he did not look forward to taking on that fleet sitting out there.

The fact that several of the ships were two to three times larger than his warship and that they were currently outnumbered did not help matters.

"Connection secured my Gul, visual will be up in five seconds. Channel is open."

Nuvek nodded and strode to the center of the bridge, taking a commanding stance as he faced the viewscreen and began. Prefect Dukat had spoke with him and implored to him and the other Gul's that they were to tread carefully when communication was finally established, and as he cleared his throat he recalled the speech he had spent the last few hours putting together.

"Unknown alien fleet, this is Gul Nuvek of the _Javilon_. You are violating the territorial sovereignty of the Cardassian Union. Identify yourselves and state your purpose for being in our space."

Silence returned, but it would not last for long. Mere seconds after Nuvek had finished speaking, the viewscreen finally shifted from the image of the distant fleet to two figures. He could hear a sharp intake of breath from several crewmen, and a hiss of disgust from Rumar. For his own part, Nuvek managed to maintain a stern and authoritative despite his surprise.

A tall humanoid figure wearing crimson hued armor and black robes stood to one side, a black and red mask hiding his face from view. His arms were folded across his chest, and Nuvek could almost feel an aura of power and dominance flowing from the figure. There was nothing to distinguish his race, but considering that he was standing next to a young human woman in a grey military uniform odds were good that the figure was also human.

The woman began moving her lips, but to Nuvek's surprise she did not seem to be speaking in Federation Standard. It certainly didn't sound any language he could recall hearing off. He sent a questioning glance to Gil Ulm, who shrugged and simply said "The translator is not familiar with the language. It'll take a moment to get anything clear."

Nuvek simply inclined his head, briefly wishing he had one of those Starfleet communicators with him. He shoved the thought aside as he decided to repeat his previous query, figuring that was the only thing he could do until the translator started working.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak however, he felt a strange tingling sensation in his head. Confusion flickered acrossed his face as he reached up to rub at his forehead, the feeling intensifying by the second. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Glinn Rumar next to him. His mouth moved but he didn't hear anything, and without realizing it Nuvek's gaze swiveled to that of the hooded being. He didn't know how, but somehow he simply _knew_ that the being standing on that alien ship was responsible.

An instant later, the feeling left and Nuvek staggered, Glinn Rumar quickly helping him to regain his footing. Nuvek pushed him off however and glared at the armored humanoid, his eyes burning with anger. He raised an accusatory finger, shaking it as he pointed at it and began "I don't know what you have in mind doing that, but-"

"My apologies Gul, but my way was faster. Our translators are having trouble with your language."

The Gul froze. The figure had spoken, but not in his own language. Instead, he had spoken in perfect Cardassian. _A telepath…_ he thought to himself silently, though that wasn't anything like what he had heard being touched telepathically was supposed to be.

"As for the answer to your question, I am Darth Revan, Lord of the Sith Empire and Supreme Commander of its armed forces." He paused for a moment, resting a gauntleted hand upon his chin as he added "And as for what we're doing in your territory…I honestly don't know. Before we arrived here in your space, we were engaged in a battle with a Republic fleet in the Outer Rim. During the battle, there was a strange flash of light, and then we were here."

Nuvek listened to this 'Darth Revan's' story with a neutral expression on his face. The story seemed farfetched, but from the report Dukat had sent, Terok Nor had detected a spatial anomaly of unknown origin in the area where this Sith fleet now resided. It was certainly possible this man was telling the truth, but until they had more information, there was no way to be sure.

"Well, Darth Revan, I'm afraid for the moment I must request that you and your fleet remain where you are until we can sort this situation out. Any aggressive moves by your ships will be met by swift action on our part, and any ship attempting to leave the system will be considered an enemy combatant. I trust this is not a problem for you…"

Revan shook his head. "I have no problem with those conditions at this time Gul Nuvek. Without more information to work with, doing anything else would be reckless and foolhardy, not to mention put the lives of my soldiers in unnecessary danger."

"However, I would like to ask that I be able to speak with whoever is in charge of this sector. The sooner we are able to figure out how to return to our own space, the sooner we can leave yours, and speaking with your superiors might help answer some of our own questions, and yours." He added a moment later, his voice making it clear the man didn't really think of what he was asking as a 'suggestion.'

"I shall pass that along to my commander. Until then, please keep your ships where they are and make no aggressive moves, and we will be able to bring this situation to a desirable conclusion." Nuvek replied, motioning for Ulm to close the channel. "Rumar, send Prefect Dukat a copy of that conversation. In the meantime, keep an eye on that fleet. The instant any of their ships tries anything, I want us at full battle readiness."

"And you my Gul?" Rumar asked as Nuvek strode towards the turbolift.

"I'm getting this headache checked, and then I'm going to look up anything I can find on what we just learned." He stated as the turbolift doors opened. Before he put in his destination though, he gave Rumar a stern glare as he added "And do not do anything foolish. Or you will answer to me."

Rumar nodded, but once the doors closed he turned to glare at the enemy fleet. He didn't know why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that soon enough, they would be engaging those very ships sitting silently out there.

_Go ahead…make the first move. I look forward to teaching you alien scum what happens to those who trespass in Cardassian territory._

**36 hours after event  
>Terok Nor<br>In orbit of the planet Bajor**

"Darth Revan. On behalf of the Cardassian Union, I welcome you to Terok Nor."

Darth Revan eyed the welcoming committee behind the visor of his mask as he, Penette, and his elite guard stepped out of his ship and into an open shuttle bay. His senses were already reaching out to assess the personalities of those he was about to meet, and what if any threat they posed to himself and his party.

It was a group of about ten humanoids, eight of which seemed to more of the Cardassians, and two whom he did not know. Without even having to think about it, he reached out with the force and plucked the knowledge he needed from the two, noting that he had less difficulty doing so with these Bajorans minds than he had with the Cardassians. He paid them little mind, their stance and behavior towards the Cardassian soldiers standing among them enough to tell him all he needed to know.

Instead, his eyes were drawn to a taller man who stood tall above the others, his beaming smile already making Revan trying to decide whether he wanted to gag or roll his eyes. He could easily sense the arrogance and egotistical nature of the man, and he had a feeling he would not like this man very much.

Still, Revan was here for a reason, so he would tolerate the man as much as was required for him to gain the knowledge he sought.

"Greetings Gul Dukat, Prefect of Bajor. As was agreed upon in our communiqué earlier, I am answering the demand of your Central Command by giving you this." Revan said as he turned and took a datapad from one of the Dark Jedi that had accompanied him and held it out for the Cardassian commander to take.

"I would like to apologize for having to put you through that, but unfortunately Central Command does not have the same judge of character as I do. Nor are they here to have witnessed the event that brought you here." Dukat said, the smile never leaving his face as he quickly scanned the datapad, despite the fact that Revan knew he wouldn't be able to read it. Dukat handed it off to one of his aides who quickly excused himself as Dukat returned his attention to Revan's party. "If you will follow me, we can proceed to the Conference room. As I understand it, you would like to make use of our astrogation charts."

Revan nodded. "None of the stars in this sector match anything in Republic, Sith, or Rakata databanks. A larger glimpse of the region should be able to help us determine how far from home we are. The sooner we can find that out, the sooner we will no longer be violating your space."

"A shame really, I have always enjoyed meeting new races and learning about their cultures. Expanding my knowledge allows me to do my job far more efficiently." Dukat said as he turned and strode for the exit, his aides trailing him along the way. Revan dutifully followed after him, quickly managing to pass the others to stride beside Dukat.

"Tell me Gul, have you had any contact with the Galactic Republic or Old Sith? I've traveled extensively through the galaxy, and have yet to hear of your civilization."

"Well, I cannot say that I am as well traveled as you Darth Revan, but I can say with certainty that I have never heard of any of those powers. Then again, we've only mapped out a small portion of the galaxy." Duakt replied, though he seemed to think for a moment before asking "I wonder, which quadrant of the galaxy are you from? We have no knowledge of what lies within the Gamma or Delta quadrants."

Revan frowned behind his mask, the nagging theory that he had developed gaining more traction as he replied "I have not heard of those terms used for the galaxy before. We were engaged in a battle in the Outer Rim as you already know, but most of our Empire stretched from what we call the Unknown Regions to the Mid-Rim."

Dukat gave him a smile that he assumed was meant to be reassuring, but simply reinforced a desire to smack the man as he said "Well I'm sure you will have the answers you seek soon enough. I look forward to discovering them with you."

They spent the rest of the walk listening to Dukat speak about the station, how it was an accomplishment of Cardassian-Bajoran cooperation and a symbol of Cardassia's strength and determination in the face of those who sought to terrorize them. Revan listened with half an ear, paying closer attention to the details of the station itself as well as the few inhabitants it passed. They saw other Bajorans as they went, along with more Cardassians, most of whom were dressed as soldiers. It was very clear to Revan that the Bajorans were a conquered race, the way they looked and acted as Dukat and his party passed them. He could clearly sense the fear, revulsion, and simmering fury that many of them felt, but the fear was the strongest amongst them.

_This is a familiar feeling…like what I felt when I was on Taris, and on the many worlds we liberated, and what I felt back on Dromuund Kaas. Oppression, despair, the feeling of the broken. But these Bajorans…they haven't been completely broken, _Revan thought to himself as he let his senses reach out and probe their minds. Even as they reached the doors to the conference room, he had already noted down at least a dozen people whose hatred and disgust for the Cardassians outweighed their fear of them. _Something to remember…I have a feeling such will be very useful in the near-future…_

"Ah, here we are. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll have the star-charts for this region up in but a moment." Dukat declared as he led the way into a small but spacious room, which held a single long table with a dozen seats set around it. Revan gestured to his own guards, and a few of them took seats, but the rest like him remained standing. The Bajorans quietly excused themselves, while the Cardassians found seats and seemed to relax somewhat, perhaps in no small part due to their commanders own relaxed posture. The only standing Cardassians were two guards near the door and Dukat.

Revan stepped over to the portholes that gave a wonderful view of Bajor as it slowly spun nearby, his flagship now in standard orbit around the planet. If he focused his senses, he could spot off in the far distance the rest of his fleet, and he felt their anxiousness at the unknown situation they had somehow found themselves in. But under that, their devotion and loyalty to him remained as strong as ever. They knew that somehow, he would find out what had happened to them, and get them back home.

_Please…please let me be wrong_, Revan thought as he turned around, Dukat also doing so as he spread his hands over the image now displayed on the screen. "Here we are Darth Revan, the charts for this region of space. If you need to see more, all you need to do is ask."

Revan nodded, approaching the console as he gazed at the gird laid out before him. A region of space was highlighted, the seal of the Cardassian Union centered near a planet that he assumed was Cardassia. None of the stars placements looked familiar. He looked briefly to Dukat as he asked "May I?" before reaching out and plying his hands across the console, zooming out the map some to get a better picture. Though he was more concerned with finding out where he and his fleet had been dropped, his mind cataloged every piece of information the map offered him.

Now he was viewing what the console informed him was an area of space known as the Alpha Quadrant. Still there was no sign of anything familiar to him. "None of it…I don't recognize any of these stars…" Revan declared, a slowly building cauldron of emotion beginning to well up inside him as he again and again expanded the view, even pulling up images of the galaxies neighboring the one they were in desperation mixing with anger and rage as he sought what the rational part of his mind was already acknowledging.

"My Lord, is everything alright?" One of his guards asked, but Revan didn't hear him, his arms falling to his sides as his hands clenched in fury. As the dark lord remained silent, the Sith in the room suddenly all stood and made their way for the door, not panicking but clearly in a rush. Dukat looked at his fellow Cardassians, who all seemed to shrug in confusion. It was then that Revan spoke, a single sentence being uttered from behind his mask.

"Leave the room."

Dukat's eyebrow quirked up at the command from the Sith Lord, amazed that this strange being would so blatantly try to order him around. He clearly did not realize who he was dealing with.

"Darth Revan, I'm afraid I must demand an explan-"

Revan turned to Dukat, and though the Sith Lord was wearing a mask, Dukat could feel the man's eyes boring into him, and despite himself, Dukat suddenly felt as if he was nothing but an insect in the presence of a giant. The very air around the Sith seemed to crackle with fury as he said in almost a whisper,

"If you and your men value your lives, you will leave this room. Now."

It would have been rather comical to see, had anyone in that room been in the mood for humor. Revan wasn't even sure if it was Dukat or one of his underlings who sprinted out of the room. All he knew was that within five seconds, he was the only one in the room. This, with the roar of unbridled fury he unleashed a moment later, was a good thing.

Dukat and his officers had rushed into the hallway where they quickly noticed the Sith guards had moved as far away from the door as they could. Without even bothering to ask why, Dukat moved to stand beside them as he wondered what in name of Cardassia was going on. They found out a moment later.

It felt as if a photon torpedo had gone off in the next room, as he and his men were shook by the shockwave that emanated from the room they had previously been in. The bulkheads separating them bulged outward, and an alarm suddenly rang out as the computer announced _Hull breach in section 3 habitat ring. Force fields in place and holding._

"Command Center, report!" Dukat barked out as he stared in wide eyed disbelief at what had just happened. He quickly received a response as an officer barked out,

"_We've detected a hull breach in the Conference Room 1, but there's no sign of an explosion or anything. I'm…I'm picking up a life sign in there, but that shouldn't be possible…"_

The officer on the other line said something more, but Dukat did not hear it, for just as the officer had started his report, the door to the room was slowly peeled open seemingly by nothing. And when it was pulled aside completely, the Cardassians gazed in a mixture of amazement and fear as Darth Revan lowered his hand and stepped into the hallway. That feeling of tension and danger he had been radiating mere seconds ago was gone, replaced by an almost eerily calm aura.

"My apologies for my outburst Gul Dukat, I normally possess far better control than what I just displayed. I must inform you however that I must now return to my ship and meditate over the insight your star charts have given me. I'll send over some engineers to help fix this room, and if necessary we are willing to pay for the damage done." He paused, seeming to considering something, before adding "Also, I need to speak with the highest representative of your government that you can find."

Without waiting for a dismissal or acknowledgement, Revan turned and proceeded back down the corridor they had come by, his guard following along shortly afterward. Dukat's aides were still staring in clear shock and what they had witnessed, but Dukat was able to compose himself just before the repair crew arrived to get to work. As they set to work, Dukat slowly walked into the room and gazed at the crushed and pulverized remains. And he could clearly see the blown out wall that had been there but a few minutes ago.

Dukat's face took on a firm expression as he turned and marched out, moving over to Glinn Omat and saying "Cordon off this section, I want every piece of information on what happened in that room in two hours. And get that datapad translated. I've got a call to make."

Dukat strode away at a fast but seemingly relaxed pace, keeping the façade of being unshaken about what had happened up. He had already shown weakness moments ago, and with this new piece of information about these 'Sith', Dukat knew that it was up to him to ensure that Cardassia did not appear weak.

However, after what had seeming just occurred, he wasn't sure he knew _how_ he could do that.

**Somewhere on Bajor**

A young woman sat in the center of a small meditation chamber, the flickering lights from nearby candles casting shadows across her form. Behind her, a dark curtain parted open as another, older figure stepped into the room. Draped in the robes of a Bajoran priest, he quietly approached the women and knelt by her side. Neither spoke, but it seemed as if a silent conversation had played out between them as soon the elder priest stood back up and made to leave the women to her meditation, when suddenly she fell to her hands, her calm breathing fading with a soft gasp as she panted, eyes scrunched as if she was in pain.

The elder priest was at her side in moments, his face clearly showing concern as he helped her back into a sitting position. Soon, her face relaxed and her breathing mellow out. It was only then that the priest spoke.

"What is your command your Eminence?"

Kai Opaka was silent as she thought deeply on what she had seen, and then said "We're going to need a ship. I must travel to Terok Nor. The very fate of Bajor depends on it."


End file.
